Overhead door construction



Feb. 16, 1937. D. M. ROBINSON OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 19., 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l flat/Id MfPabz'nson Feb. 16, 1937. D. M. ROBINSON OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed April 19, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 16, 1937. D. M. ROBINSON OVERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION 3 Shets-Sheet 3 Original Filed April 19, 1934 Patented Feb. 16, 1937 OYERHEAD DOOR CONSTRUCTION David M. Robinson, New Britain, Com, airline: to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Com, a corporation of Connecticut Application April 19, 1934, Serial No. 721,298

Renewed July 17,

10 Claims.

This invention relates to overhead door constructions, and particularly to those constructions wherein a plurality of vertically movable doors are used to close a door opening in a building.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement whereby the intermediate or center post or posts, which normally serve the purpose of guiding those edges of the doors remote from the sides of the door opening, may be moved along a transverse or cross track to a position out of the doorway and to one side thereof, the arrangement being characterized by various features of novelty and advantage, and particularly by its simplicity in construction, its economy in manufacture, and the ease and facility with which it may be installed.

A further aim of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of removable posts which will not interfere with positioning the horizontal portions of the door supporting tracks at any desired height, nor require any additional head room over that required if such an arrangement were not provided.

A further object resides in the provision, in an overhead door construction of the character described, of means for rendering the posts easily movable from a position in which they support the edges of the doors intermediate the sides of the door opening to a position in which they are clear of the door opening.

A still further object resides in the provision in an overhead door construction of the character described, of means for locking the movable posts in position to support the said edges of the vertically movable doors and means for automatically holding the doors in open position whenever the posts are removed from their door supporting position.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a suitable mechanical embodiment of the idea of the invention. The drawings however, are to be taken for the purpose of illustration only and not as limiting the invention the scope of which is to be measured entirely by the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of an overhead door construction constructed according to the idea of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of one overhead door and a portion of the building in which the overhead doors are used, showing means for supporting and guiding the door, and means for supporting and guiding a movable post adapted io support the adjoining edges of two adjacent oors;

Fig. 3 is. an elevational view or the locking means for the movable post;

Fig. 4 is aside elevational view the locking means illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2 showing in plan view the movable post and the means for supporting the doors and movable post;

Fig. 6 is a view 01' a lock device for maintaining the doors in their uppermost or open position whenever the movable post is removed from its door supporting location.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the upper portion of the removable door post forming a part of my invention, the supporting track for the door post and the portion of the building immediately surrounding the track being shown in section; and i Fig. 8 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale of the safety hook and supporting bushing therefor illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 10 generally indicates one wall of a buildmg provided with a door opening, generally indicated at l2. This building may be an aircraft hangar, a garage building, or a factory building, having a door opening so wide that it would not be practical to close the same by means of a single door because of the excess weightof sucha door and the difficulty or effectively bracing against the strains and stresses set up in a door of such large size during its opening and closing movements, and also because the opening of such a large door in cold weather spills all of the heated air out of the building and it then becomes necessary to re-heat the building every time the door is opened. It is, therefore, of great advantage to close the door opening by means of a plurality of relatively small doors, each small door being supported and guided along each of its edges by a track member. With this arrangement, each door is movable from a vertical position in which it closes a certain area of the door opening to a substantially horizontal overhead position in which each door is within the building and above the door opening, leaving the area of the door opening uncovered by the door clear. With such a construction, however, it is necessary to provide posts between each two adjacent doors to support the adjoining edges of these doors intermediate the sides of the door opening, and when the doors are all raised to their open position, as described above, these posts still stand in the door opening. In order to render the entire door opening free and clear, I provide an improved arrangement for moving these door supporting posts out of the door opening.

In order to guide and support the door in its two operative positions and in its movements between these two positions, there is a track at each edge of each door, these tracks, such as l8, I9, and 20, each being provided with a vertical section, a horizontal section, and a curved intermediate section, the vertical, horizontal, and curved sections of each track being indicated at 22, 23, and 24 in Fig. 2. The vertical section of each side track, such as track I8, is secured to the wall of the building by means of suitable track brackets 21. The curved section and the forward end of the horizontal section of each side track is secured to the building by means of a supporting plate, such as the plate 29, of substantially triangular shape and having an apertured flange 30 along one edge thereof secured to the building by suitable bolts or screws.

The numeral 25 designates a removable post positioned in the door opening between the adjacent edges of the doors remote from the side edges of the door opening, there being shown but one such post but it being understood that more than one may be provided. The vertical portions of the center tracks l9 and 20 are carried on the opposite sides of this post. Above each post is a plate 29' provided with a flange 30 for securing the same to the building above the door opening. This plate carries, upon opposite sides thereof, the curved portions of the tracks l9 and 20.

The doors (one of which is indicated at 35) in .the construction illustrated, are of the type known as articulated doors; that is, each door is made up of a plurality of horizontal sections hinged together along their adjoining edges. Each hinge 40 carries a roller 4| adapted to engage in the associated track for the purpose of supporting and guiding the door in its opening and closing movements. At the upper end of the door, a roller 42 is secured to each side of the door by means of a hinged radius arm 43. the lower ends of these arms being pivotally secured to the door by hinge connections 44. These radius arms are bent so that the upper section of the door rests upon them whenever the door is raised or partly raised. A short track member, as indicated at 45, of channel section, is secured to each end plate 29 and to each side of each intermediate plate 29 substantially tangent with the middle of the respective curved sections of the track, and a guide stud 46, extending outwardly from the edge of each door near each upper corner thereof, cooperates with these short tracks to swing the upper ends of the upper sections of the doors toward the door jamb 48 when the doors are lowered and away from the door jamb 48 and along a path parallel to the upper parts of the main tracks as the doors are raised. An auxiliary plate 50 is secured to the upper portion of each of the end plates 29 and to each side of each intermediate plate 29 and each auxiliary plate carries a rotatable block or sheave over which a cable 52 passes for raising and lowering the doors, one end of each cable being connected to the respective door adjacent to the bottom thereof and the other end being connected to the door counterbalancing mechanism, not illustrated. It will be understood that there is a cable 52 for each edge of each door and that there is an associated sheave 5| for each cable and that there is a main track, a short track, and a supporting plate at each edge of each door and also that each edge of each door is provided with rollers cooperating with the associated track.

The main tracks l9 and 20 serve to support and guide the adjoining edges of two adjacent doors. The post 25, in the construction illustrated, is a steel beam of I-section having a web 53 and flanges 54 and 55. The vertical sections 22 and the lower portions of the curved sections of the tracks I9 and 20 are secured to opposite sides of the web 53 in any suitable manner. These track members are broken within the lower part of the curved section 24, as indicated by the broken line 5-5 of Fig. 2, so that the lower portion of the door track may be moved laterally with respect to the upper portion thereof. The post 25 has secured to the outer surface of the flange 54, adjacent to the top thereof, an apertured block 51 through which extends a vertically positioned bolt 58. This block and bolt form a swivel connection for supporting the upper end of the post upon a roller carriage or trolley, generally indicated at 60. which travels within a box track 6| secured to the building by means of an angle iron 62 which has one web welded or otherwise suitably secured to the track and the other web secured to bucks l2 and I3 by bolts 62'. The roller carriage has a bridge member 63 supported at each end by a pair of rollers, indicated at 64. The upper end of the bolt 58 extends downwardly through a centrally located vertical aperture in the bridge member so that its head bears upon the upper surface of the bridge member, and through the block 51, and carries upon its lower end a pair of lock nuts 65. The web 53 and flange 54 of the post are cut away at their upper ends, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 7, to provide at the front side of the post an upwardly extending projection 67 to which the block 5'! is secured. This cut away portion has a vertical edge along the projection 61 and a horizontal edge extending forwardly from the flange 55, the horizontal and vertical edges being joined by a diagonal edge cut in the web 53. The lower portion of the track member 20 terminates adjacent the horizontal edge, and the short guide track member 45 is divided along the diagonal edge. This construction of the top part.

of the post renders it possible to locate the track 6| and carriage or hanger 60 above the end of the post and in front of the same so that the track 6| may be positioned well above the lines along which the guide tracks are severed and the track 6| will not, in any way, interfere with or restrict the door opening I2. The lower forward corner of each intermediate plate 29' is cut away, as indicated at H, so that the upper end of the post may be moved past this plate.

It is desirable in a construction of this character that the door post, when in a position to support the edges of the doors, should be so located that the center tracks I9 and 20 are in the same vertical plane as the fixed track l8 and also the fixed track corresponding to the track I8 at the other side of the door opening and that, when moved to clear the door opening, the post should come in behind the wall of the building at the side of the door opening in such position that the portions of the track IS on the post will nest in the track l8, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. In order to provide for this movement of the post, it is necessary to slant the post carrying track 0| relative to the wall of the building. Between the lintel I0 and the roof, the building is provided with a plurality of bucks, indicated at 12 and I3, and in ,grder to locate the track in the slanted position illustrated in Fig. 5, the buck I2 is completely severed and the end of the track remote from the side of the doorway is located against the building wall within the cross sectional area of this buck. The buck it at the side of the door opening is provided with a groove extending through only a portion of its thickness, and the end of the track at the .side of the 'door opening is located in this groove. Thus the track 6| slopes away from the building from the end thereof remote from the side of the door opening to the end thereof adjacent to the side of the door opening and, as the carriage 60 supporting the post 25 runs along this track, the post will be shifted inwardly as well as laterally so that, in its limiting position, illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, it will be located within the building and the door track I9 carried by the post will mesh with, or nest in, the track I0 supported upon the building wall.

While the upper end of the post is supported by the construction just described, in order to providea firm and rigid support for the intermediate edges of the doors, it is necessary that the,bottom of the post should be firmly locked in position, and to this end, I have provided a locking device, particularly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, carried upon the rear face of the post 25. This-locking device comprises a pair of vertically movable bolts or pins I5 and I6 slidably secured to the rear surface of the post 25 by means of guides ll bolted to the inner flange 55 of the post. The lower ends of these pins are tapered and are adapted to engage in suitabl apertures I8 provided in a plate embedded in the tread of the doorway. The pins I5 and it are rigidly connected together at their upper ends by a transverse bar 8I so that the two pins will move up and down together, The pin I5 is provided at its upper end with an apertured extension 03 to which is pivotally secured the lower end of a double link 84 the upper end of which is pivotally secured to a reversing lever 85 pivotally mounted on the rear face of the post 25 by means of a bearing pin- 00 and bracket 81. A pivoted double link 80 connects the opposite end of the reversing lever 05 to a collar 89 in which the lower end of a shaft or rod 90 is rotatably but non-slidably secured. The rod 90 extends upwardly along the inner or rear face of the door post and intermediate its length passes through an enlarged loop bracket or guide 9I secured to the rear face of the post at a convenient height for the operation of a handle 92 which is rigidly secured to the rod 90 at a. location to cooperate with the loop bracket 9I. The bracket 9| is provided with a shallow indentation 93 and a deep indent'ation or slot 94 circumferentially spaced from each other, both indentations having a width slightly greater than the width of the handle 92. From the construction so far described, it will be observed that when the rod 90 is moved upwardly by the handle 92, the pins I5 and I6 will be moved downwardly to engage in the apertures I8 in the plate 80. The pins may be locked in this position by rotating the handle 92 to a position in which it rests in the shallow indentation 93. In order to release the pins 15 and I6 from engagement in the aperture I8, the handle 92 is first lifted out of the shallow indentation 93 and rotated until it is in alignment with the deep indentation 94. The handle is then forced downwardly to the bottom of this indentation, which action,. through the collar 89, reversing lever 05, and links 88 and 84, raises the pins I5 and I6 out of engagement with the apertures 18. The loop bracket 9| is provided with an upper abutment 96 to limit the upward movement of the handle 92 and rod 90.

The rod 90 extends upwardly above the bracket 9| to a position substantially level with the top of the flange 55 and is provided with a tapered upper end adapted to take in a bore 98 in a fixed bushing I00 to secure the upper end of the door against lateral movement.

In an overhead door construction of the character described, embodying removable center posts, there is some danger that the doors may be accidentally lowered when the removable posts are not in a position to'properly support them, resulting in a jamming of the doors and possibly in other serious consequences. In order to avoid such a contingency, I have provided, in association with the post locking means, means for locking the doors in their overhead position whenever the posts are not locked in position to receive and support the doors.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be observed that the bushing I00 is rigidly secured to the plate 29' by means of a pair of bracket plates I02 and I03. These plates I02 and I03 each have an intermediate portion thereof bent into the form of a half cylinder, as indicated at I06, and a straight portion projecting from each edge of the half cylinder. One straight portion of each plate overlies a downwardly projecting portion I07 formed on the plate 29'. These straight portions are positioned on opposite sides of the plate 29' and are secured to the plate 29 by suitable means, such as the rivets I08. The straight portions extending from the opposite sides of the semi-cylindrical portions of the plates I02 and I 03 extend between the track members I9 and 20 and are secured to the track members by suitable means, such as riveting or spot welding, thus providing a substantial and rigid bracket for the bushing I 00. The plate 29' is provided with a cut-out portion I00 into which the bushing and the straight portions. of the plates I02 and I03, included between the tracks, extend. The bushing and the bracket formed by the plates I02 and I03 are also provided with a bevel IIO along one upper side thereof in order that the bushing and bracket will clear the inner surfaces of the tracks I9 and 20. The bushing I00 is provided with a reduced portion III included in the semi-cylindrical portions of the plates I02 and I03 and; at one end of this reduced portion, is provided with a slightly enlarged journal portion H2 upon which is mounted a latch in the form of a hook II4. At the end of the reduced portion III, opposite the journal portion II2, the bushing I00 is provided with a shoulder H5 of the same diameter as the journal portion II 2 which is adapted to engage with the upper edges of the semi-cylindrical portions of the plates I02 and I 03 to support the bushing in these plates. This shoulder H5 is made of the same diameter as the journal portion II2 so that the hook H4 may be inserted upon the bushing over the end on which the shoulder II5 is formed. At the opposite side of the journal portion from the reduced portion I I I, the bushing is provided with an enlarged portion or radial shoulder iil for retaining the hook lid on the bushing.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be observed that the hook lid has a loop or bearing portion are rotatably mounted upon the journal H2 and has a stem I and a bent over end portion E22 and that the track members 99 and 29 are provided with aligned apertures IZ l through which the bent over portion I22 of the hook projects when the hook is in the operative position illustrated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 6. As this hook is located below the lower edges of the doors when the doors are in their uppermost or overhead position, it will be observed that, when the hook is in the operative position illustrated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 6, the bent over portion I22 of the hook blocks the tracks it and 2d so that the doors cannot be lowered while the hook is in this position. When it is desired to lower the doors, the hook must be swung to its second or inoperative position, indicated by broken lines in Fig. 6. To this end, the loop portion N9 of the hook is provided with a key way or indentation I25 adapted to cooperate with a key I27 rigidly secured upon the upper end of the locking bar or rod 90. This key has a base portion I28 which surrounds the upper end of the rod and extends radially outwardly therefrom and carries, at its outer end, an upwardly extending key member I29 adapted to engage in the key-way I25 to rotate the hook lid upon rotation of the post locking handle 92. From this description, it will be seen that, when the handle 92 is in the shallow depression Q3, the .key I29 will be in engagement in the key-way I25, and the hook H4 will be in its inoperative position. If the handle 92 is now lifted from the shallow depression and turned through the are necessary to bring it into alignment with the deep depression 94, the key I29 will swing the hook IN to the operative position illustrated by full lines in Fig. 6. When the handle is now depressed in the deep slot 94 to release the pins I5 and 15, the key I29 will be released from the key-way I25, the upper end of the rod 99 will be moved out of the bore 98, and the post may be moved. While the hook is in this position, the doors cannot be lowered. When the post is replaced in door supporting position, the doors cannot be lowered until the post has been definitely locked in position by the proper operation of the handle 92. Thus, when the handle 92 is raised to bringv the same out of the deep slot 94, the key I29 is engaged in the key-way I25 but before the doors can be lowered, the handle must be swung through the are necessary to bring it into alignment with the shallow slot 93. This movement locks the pins 15 and I6 in engagement in the apertures I8 in the plate 80 and, at the same time, swings the hook H4 to the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 6. With the post locked and the hook in the position indicated, the doors may now be lowered to close the door openings.

The hook I I4 is provided in the bent over portion I22 thereof with a safety catch I30 in the form of a spring pressed pawl adapted to engage with one side of the aperture I24 to retain the hook against accidental movement from the operative position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 6.

From the above description, it will be observed that the transverse track BI upon which the door supporting roller trolley 60 runs may be posiaovaeee tioned in front of the curve of the main door tracks and the movable post 25 is secured at its front face to the trolley 68. This construction, besides providing for easier operation of the movable post and for the complete removal of the post from the door opening, also provides an improved construction in which neither the movable post nor its'supporting means interferes in any way with the head room beneath the overhead position of the doors. With this improvedconstruction, the horizontal portions of the door supporting tracks may be located at any desired height and, if desired, may be positioned very close to the ceiling or roof of the building, and the door openings may be relatively high in proportion to the height of the building. Thus, with my improved door construction, an object substantially as high as the door opening may be moved through the doorway into the building without interference with any part of the door supmrting structure, and. it is not necessary to go to the expense of projecting the building to a great height above the height of the door opening.

While I have described and illustrated a particular mechanical embodiment of the idea of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not specifically limited to the construction so illustrated and described but that such changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to as to come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention so that others skilled in the art may clearly understand the same, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In an overhead door construction, a plurality of doors adapted to be located within a building and to close a door opening thereof, a pair of tracks for each door for supporting and guiding the same from a vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, each of said tracks having a vertical portion, a horizontal portion and a curved connecting portion; a removable post for supporting the vertical portions of two adjacent intermediate door tracks and movable from an operative position within the door opening to a position at one side of the door opening and within the building, a cross track within the building and above the door opening and located forwardly of said curved connecting portions of said tracks, and a traveling carrier supported by said track and from which said post is suspended for movement from the door opening to one side thereof and within the building.

'2. In an overhead door construction, a pinrality of doors within the building adapted to close a door opening thereof, a pair of tracks for each door for supporting and guiding the same from a vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal overhead position within the building, a removable post normally within the door opening between the adjacent edges of the doors, said post carrying the vertical portions of the tracks for supporting said adjacent edges of the doors, a cross track within the building and above and generally parallelto the door opening, a traveling hanger supported by said track andfrom which said post is suspended, manually operable means for locking said post in door supporting position, and a locking device actuated by said manually operable means which prevents closure of the door when the post is unlocked from door guiding position.

3. In an overhead door construction, a plurality of doors adapted to be located within a building and to close the door opening thereof, a pair of tracks for each door for supporting and guiding the same from a vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, each of "said tracks having a. vertical portion, a horizontal portion, and a curved connecting portion; a removable post for supporting the vertical portions of two adjacent intermediate door tracks, a cross track within the building above the door opening and located forwardly of said curved connecting portions of said tracks, and a traveling hanger supported by said cross track and from which said post is suspended.

4. In an overhead door construction, a plu rality of doors positioned within a building side by side in closed position and adapted to close a door opening thereof, a removable post within said door opening and between said doors, a pair or tracks for supporting and guiding the adjacent edges of said doors from a vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal overhead position; each of said tracks having a vertical portion, an overhead horizontal portion, and a curved connecting portion; said tracks being broken adjacent the lower ends of said curved portions, the portions of the tracks below the break being carried by said post and the portions of the tracks above the break being fixed, a cross track within the building above the door opening and forwardly of said curved portions of said door tracks, and a carriage supported by said cross track and from which said post is suspended.

5. In combination with a building having a door opening therein, a plurality of doors within said building for closing said opening, a pair of tracks for each door for supporting and guiding the same from a vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, each of said tracks having a vertical portion, a horizontal portion, and a curved connecting portion; a removable post for supporting the vertical portions of two adjacent intermediate door tracks, a cross track within said building above the door opening and located forwardly of said curved connecting portions of said tracks, and a traveling hanger supported by said cross track and from which said post is suspended, said cross track being inclined inwardly at an angle to the wall of said building.

6. In combination with a building having a door opening therein, an overhead door construction for closing said door opening comprising, a plurality of overhead doors within said building movable between a vertical position and a substantially horizontal overhead position, a pair of tracks forsupporting and guiding each door, each of said tracks comprising a horizontal overhead portion and a vertical portion, a removable post for supporting the vertical portions of each two adjacent door tracks intermediate the sides of said door opening, a cross track above and substantially in the plane of said door opening and within said building for supporting said removable post for movement laterally of said door opening, and means for suspending said post from said cross track for movement with respect thereto, said means comprising a roller trolley within said cross track and an offset swivel connection between said trolley and the upper end of said post.

'7. In an overhead door construction, a plurality of doors movable from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, a pair of tracks for supporting and guiding each of said doors, a removable post between the adjacent edges of said doors and supporting portions of the intermediate tracks, means for supporting said post for movement from door supporting position to a position at one side of the door opening, means for locking said post in door supporting position, and means actuable by said door post locking means for locking said doors in their broken adjacent the lower end of said curved portions, the portions of the tracks below the break being carried by said post and the portions of the tracks above the break being fixed, means for supporting said post for movement from post supporting position to an out of the way position, means carried by said post for locking the same in door supporting position, a latch associated with the fixed portions of the tracks for holding the doors in overhead position, and means associated with said post locking means for operating'said latch, said latch being automatically moved to latching position when said post locking means is unlocked and said latch being automatically moved out of door holding position when said post locking means is moved to locking position.

9. In an overhead door construction, a plurality of doors positioned side by side in closed position and adapted to close a door opening, a removable post within said door opening and between said doors, a pair of tracks for supporting and guiding the adjacent edges of said doors from a vertical in door supporting position and including a locking member mounted for reciprocation and an operating member mounted for vertical and rotary movements, a latch associated with the fixed portions of the tracks for holding the doors in overhead position, a key member engageable with said latch when said operating member is vertically moved to lock said locking member, said key member and latch being turned when said operating member is rotated, and means for preventing rotation of said operating member except when said locking member is in looking position and said key member is in latch engaging position.

10. In an overhead door construction, a plurality of doors movable from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, a pair of tracks for supporting and guiding each of said doors, each track having a horizontal overhead section and a vertical section, a removable post for supporting the vertical sections of certain of said door tracks, a cross track for supporting said post for movement laterally of said door opensame in door supporting position, a. bar carried by said postfor rotary and vertical movements and connected to said bolt, a. guide for said bar and having a vertical slot and a circumferential slot leading irom the upper end of the vertical aomeeo ing, a, bolt carried by said post for locking the slot, an operating member secured to said bar and movable in said slots, a, pivoted latch above said post for locking the doors in overhead position and having a key-way, and a key carried by said bar and. engageabie in said key-way.

DA M. ROBINSON. 

